Palm Slashes Prices, TT now $399

Palm Tungsten TPalm SG has dropped prices on their handhelds. The Tungsten T was cut by $100, bringing it down to $399 USD. There is also a free shipping promotion on any handheld when purchased from the Palm Store.

Palm also reduced the price of the m515 and m130 by $50 each. The m515 is now selling for $299 and the m130 is now $199. Both models were introduced a year ago, and price drops usually indicate that replacements are on the way. Historically Palm had released or announced new handhelds in the early spring and fall.

The Tungsten T is the most compact Palm branded handheld on the market today. It sports a collapsible graffiti slider design, one-handed 5-way Navigation, 16MB of memory, a 320x320 high resolution screen and integrated Bluetooth. Be sure to read our in depth review.

Palm m515 and m130The m130 has 8 MB of RAM and runs on a built-in rechargeable battery. It has a expansion card slot on one side, allowing it to use SD or MMC cards. It has the m100 series form factor and the Universal connector. The m515 is an updated version of the m505 with 16 MB of RAM and a stronger sidelight, leading to a brighter screen. Its TFT screen can display 65,000 colors. it has 4 MB of flash ROM.

The entry level, Palm Zire, did not get a price cut and is still available for $99. Palm has said that this model has been exceeding their sales expectations.

There is a limited free shipping promotion on all handhelds at the Palm.com Online Store.

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wtf?

Toysoft @ 2/4/2003 12:19:44 PM #
I paid over $850 canadian for it and a month later they drop the price. Can we get a refund on the difference?

RE: wtf?
jjsoh @ 2/4/2003 12:32:45 PM #
Refund? I believe you purchased it along with an "early-adopter's tax." You should know that this rule applies to all technology; if you want it first, pay more for it. If you want a reasonable price, wait. Since it has only been 3 months since launch, you decided to jump early.

If your purchase was made within a week of the price drop and through Palm's Online Store, then I might understand. But a month? That's still a long time. Of course, if you purchased it elsewhere, then you should find out what kind of price matching or refund policy they carry (if any).

Still, I'm surprised that the price drop was so soon. Better for Palm, I guess. I'm curious about what's looming... :)

Jim

RE: wtf?
sandbuck @ 2/4/2003 12:38:39 PM #
>> I paid over $850 canadian for it and a month later they drop the price. Can we get a refund on the difference?

That's a rhetorical question, right?

We could have waited, but we had to have a TT RIGHT THEN. Place a nice game of MegaSoft Billiards and be at peace with your early purchase.

RE: wtf?
Konstantin @ 2/4/2003 12:39:58 PM #
Yeah. There was somebody who said that whoever buy the TT will regret it if not waited a bit. There is why. Now lets buy the TT :)

RE: wtf?
navomaal @ 2/4/2003 12:43:50 PM #
I price matched it and used other means necessary to get it for 325...I guess now that is useless...eh?


RE: wtf?
graph @ 2/4/2003 3:42:00 PM #
Sounds like Palm will release the TT update like m505 - M515. the new TT will probably have a working Mp3 player with better drivers and hardwares. and no touchscreen defects.

RE: wtf?
potter @ 2/5/2003 2:17:42 PM #
Toysoft wrote:
> I paid over $850 canadian for it and a month later they
> drop the price. Can we get a refund on the difference?

Depends on when and where you bought it. Many places have "Price Match" guarantees and most such "Price Match" guarantees include a "within 30-days" clause. So if you did purchase it from a place with a Price Match guarantee within 30-days ago, you should be able to get such a refund.


RE: wtf?
kempokaraterulz @ 2/5/2003 2:23:24 PM #
its still overpriced for what you get imho.

_______________________________________
http://kempokaraterulz.ip2dns.org/
___________________

I feel special, wheres my cookie?

If you have any trouble sounding condescending, find a Unix user to show you how it's done.

RE: wtf?
adamrichman @ 2/5/2003 7:27:31 PM #
>>It's still overpriced for what you get IMHO.

lol

I smell a new palm handheld....

navomaal @ 2/4/2003 12:38:22 PM #
Palm - realizing that once again they have made a huge mistake - over priced unit that is not worth 499 and full of problems such as digitizer, flimsy toggle button, and wider variety of problems with the open close mechanism, - has decided to cut prices.

Furthermore, given palm's history, they WILL repeat the mistake - either come out with something that is just as faulty, or recycle the sony features that were offered in the middle ages.

To palm owners, I owned 505, 515 and now I have Tungsten - so please don't think I am making fun of palm owners, I am merely stating facts.


RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
sandbuck @ 2/4/2003 12:48:19 PM #
Bull. You are a pathetic, wandering troll using the "I own the machine I'm trashing" technique to legitimize your drivel.

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
TSC @ 2/4/2003 12:54:12 PM #
You may add another mistake made by Palm. That is the TT did not have SD for data backup, etc. Everytime a high end new Sony PDA reaches the market, we say, "Wow!". With Palm, the reaction is too often, "Why didn't Palm also include ........". The palm hardware always seems to be missing something important to me. Practice makes perfect. Palm will learn with more experience.

I am really like the Palm available software and OS, and I wish the company well, but I am beginning to seriously think about buying a Sharp ZAURUS Linix PDA. Confronting the Linix OS doesn't bother me.

TSC

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
zrs70 @ 2/4/2003 12:55:02 PM #
Sounds like the W will be here very soon!

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
rsc1000 @ 2/4/2003 12:59:07 PM #
>>problems such as digitizer, flimsy toggle button, and wider variety of problems with the open close mechanism,


Dont know why i am bothering to dignify this crap with a response ... but here goes. What 'toggle' exactly are you referring to? What problem with the sliding mechanism (let alone lying about a wide 'variety' of problems)? digitizer? you a full of crap. Either that or you are the most unlucky Tungten user in the universe - because i know several Tungsten owners (myself included) that haven't experienced any of these problems. Yr not really unlucky - just a troll.


RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
Gage @ 2/4/2003 1:22:08 PM #
I sell the Palm Tungsten at a retail store. And I personally own one! I think it's fantastic! But will say I had a major problem with the Digitizer also! I went into work to get a new one and took it home and same problem. Back to work and found another one. Same problem. Finally the third one I tried worked with no problem! I contacted Palm and told them of the problem. They told me that they didn't know anything about a problem, but I think three units in a row with problems is not good.

You can test your own digitizer yourself by doing the following.

1. Create a new note in notepad
2. start to draw a line starting above the delete button. Bring your stylus up to the menu word "note" (do not take the stylus off the screen until you have finished step 5)
3. You should now have a line from above delete to where the draw area ends..
4. Now continue dragging the stylus over to the categories indicator (default is "Unfiled")
5. Now continue dragging the stylus back to where you started.
6. If your unit is good you will now have a three sided triangle. If you have a bad unit you will only have a line from above the delete button to the "note" menu option. And the second line down will not exist.

The problem is along the top the of the screen the digitizer on some units just doesn't work correctly! Contact palm and tell them the same thing I told you here. They will test it on there Palm Emulator on there computer and will see it needs to be a triangle. And not just one line.

Hope this helps some people out! I was thinking of putting images on my web page so other people can see the problem and know how to test the unit. Also you can get a program called "Ak Stylus" and it will allow you to test it. Just use the program and drag your stylus along the top of the screen and you will see that it will drop out at times and stop working if you have a bad digitizer on your Tungsten.

Good luck,
Bobby

I Agree...what Tungsten Problems?
inalaop @ 2/4/2003 1:23:08 PM #
I totally agree:
What's this guy talking about? Navagator problem, slider problem??? I and the people I know who have a Tungsten are more than happy with it. Sure it has a few shorcomings, but this is more related to that fact it has new features and uses OS5 than true 'problems'. With the recent addition of a few 3rd party programs, my Tungsten is very useful to me in my work:
Clickstart - hard button, navagator, and voice record button customization to open any program with slider closed.
GraffitiAnywhere - with slider closed, can write and input data anywhere on screen.
Datebook5 v5.0 preview 6 - OS5 bug fixes and full Tungsten navagator support, other enhancements.
I also have Launcher X, Uninstall Manager, Icon Manager (for hires), BackupMan (easy total backup/restore to my SD 128MB card), Ultrathin keyboard, etc.
Many other programs optimized for OS5, hires, and specifically the Tungsten are coming out now almost daily.
So yes, it's easy to bash, but don't exaggerate.

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
Lemon @ 2/4/2003 1:35:21 PM #
Read my comments on the thread 'Comparing TT with PPC...' before you talk about TT's problem.

Lemon

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
rsc1000 @ 2/4/2003 2:03:36 PM #
Thanks Bobby - that is helpful and constructive criticism and advice (as opposed to the first troll comment). I just did the test and for me the digitizer works fine. I also grabbed my co-workers TT and tested it - fine also. Both of us just got our TTs in the last few weeks. could this be a situation of problems with early 'batch' of TTs? Maybe Palm caught wind of this early (with so many digitizer problems as you have reported - they MUST have know about this by now!) and fixed the problem in subsequent manufacturing runs. I think it is possible.

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
ganoe @ 2/4/2003 2:42:18 PM #
"Palm - realizing that once again they have made a huge mistake - over priced unit that is not worth 499"

You misspelt: Palm - realizing thet they've once again released a single device that is outselling other companies' entire PDA lineups

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
nakolo @ 2/4/2003 3:44:24 PM #
I tried the digitizer test with success! Guess I was one of the lucky ones -- I got mine on 10/28 at a Staples. The manager said they had them but didn't have a display yet. When he showed me the first one, he dropped it! Naturally, I bought the OTHER one. Yes, I paid $469 as an "early-adopter," but I waited on the sideline while the slew of m505/m515/Clie iterations went by, biding my time with my IIIc. Was it worth it? When I whip out my T|T to show friends and families the latest pics of my son (SplashPhoto), the oohs and aahs tell me, "yes." Love my T|T! I know it's not for everyone . . . but it's the right one for me.

-----
T|T, Rhinoskin leather case, G2 Screen Protector (http://www.pdascreenprotectors.com/), 128MB SanDisk SD Card, 64MB Lexar SD Card (Palm Backup)

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
whitemiata @ 2/4/2003 6:47:39 PM #
I think some of you need to re-read the initial comment while applying a bit of a filter, if the tone is bothering you so much.

Frankly, overall, the guy is not off mark, if you ask me.

The price being too high is probably a matter of opinion, but let's be honest here... there are LAPTOPS that can be had for less than twice what a Tungsten started out at.

As far as problems, while I'm not sure what the poster was referring to regarding the "Toggle," the TT has certainly been plagued with quite a few (hopefully youth) problems:

The digitizer - I've seen it with my own eyes and tried it with my own hands, it was so annoying I wouldn't have paid $50 for that particular handheld (I don't mean a TT in general, I mean one with a digitizer problem)

The Slider - again, seen it with my own eyes, the "self-retracting TT" ... that feature was not well thought out if you ask me... they should have implemented the little spring-loaded balls with grooves so that the handheld would stay securely OPEN or CLOSED based on the user's desires, not based on just how lucky you were when you picked your TT box.

Dust - Once again, seen it with my own eyes. any TT user can see it for themselves by making the screen black and keeping the backlight on. Some are luckier than others. Hopefully Palm either HAS or WILL take measures to ensure that no dust that isn't already in there can get in there. So far some reports have said otherwise.

Sound Issue - Sure, this *SHOULD* be fixed by the patch, but my coworker downloaded the patch and installed it and now MP3s sound better (though nothing like a coworker's Sony) but his alarms sound about the same loudness as my Vx's alarms do when my Vx is 3-4 times farther.

As far as "what will Palm do" ... unfortunatelly the poster (IMHO) may be right.

Palm released the Half-A$$ fix M515 after releasing the 505... meanwhile Sony'd been pushing HiRes for some time... not to mention that the M515 only solved one of the 505's shortcomings (screen brightness) while not solving SUDS, and giving up one EXCELLENT FEATURE of the 505 (lit graffiti area).

So, as a Palm fan myself, I'm hoping they get back on track (if you asked me the quality went down when they spun off 3Com... I haven't heard of endemic problems with the Vx, IIIc, IIIx, III, Pro etc... as soon as Palm spun off we got all sorts of things:

Suds, 12bit screens, dim screens, dust...

Here's hoping someone gives a nice tug to Palm's wheel and steers the ship back on course.

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
xtremist5150 @ 2/5/2003 12:33:56 PM #
woah. How come I have the feeling that if I threw a T-bone steak into the middle of this discussion, that it'd be pared down to the bone within seconds? :)

RE: I smell a new palm handheld....
xolstis @ 2/5/2003 4:40:19 PM #
I prefer mine well done thanx! = )

-the harbinger-

Tungsten not as impressive anymore...

Thunderball @ 2/4/2003 12:52:28 PM #
I was very impressed with the Tungsten previews, but damn... the enemy is not only gaining ground, in my opinion, Palm is under siege:

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/hp1910-review.html

Of course, I'm looking at this from a size perspective mostly, since that's what I'm interested in.

I still only have a PalmVx, because it's the smallest thing with the leather flip case.

If Palm will be having me as a customer again, the next Tungsten (hopefully with the new OMAP too), will include a leather flip case... but that's just me talking.

Is anyone else as manic about size as I am?

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
jjsoh @ 2/4/2003 1:03:39 PM #
: If Palm will be having me as a customer again, the
: next Tungsten (hopefully with the new OMAP too), will
: include a leather flip case... but that's just me
: talking.

If there's one thing I miss from Palm's Vx/m5xx design, it's the slide-in flip leather cover. So far, I have yet to find a cover that I'm comfortable with on my Tungsten. Even though I use the supplied clear plastic cover, it just doesn't feel natural to use when clipped onto the back. So, I end up just taking it off on use.

I also blindly invested in a Scuba Sleeve from Palm. My advice for those contemplating purchasing this crap cover: Don't bother.

: Is anyone else as manic about size as I am?

/me raises hand. :)

Jim

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
shaggypaul @ 2/4/2003 2:35:29 PM #
/join #sizematters

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
Altema @ 2/4/2003 3:13:48 PM #
Of course you should note that both Julie and Judie choose the TT as their primary PDA...

If you are that stuck on the size of the V, why not go for the M515? Leather flip cover, more AVAILABLE memory than any other Palm, and more than twice the speed of the V. Not to mention color, faster hotsyncs, better buttons, and expansion. The TT2 is not going to be any smaller.

For the ultimate size reduction, get a Fossil and remove the band :)

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
Roberto_tores @ 2/4/2003 3:32:09 PM #
If it weren't for the stupid 2:20 life of the 1910 and the removal of office formatting I would already have gone with the dark side.

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
rsc1000 @ 2/4/2003 3:57:27 PM #
>>If it weren't for the stupid 2:20 life of the 1910 and the removal of office formatting I would already have gone with the dark side.

You forgot lack of SDIO and incompatiblility with all other iPAQ expansion. And don't forget the fact that its s-l-o-w : 200mhz XScale is slower then 200mhz strongARM and significantly slower (if i understand correctly) than TI OMAP (especially one running Palm OS 5). I read recently: TT with OMAP(w/integrated DSP) = 575 MIPS vs. 400mhz XScale = 480 MIPS.

What advantage does the 1910 have over the TT (aside form the price - which as this whole article points out - is becoming less of an issue). The only place where the 1910 wins is size (longer but thinner and less width) and virtual graffiti. I'll take the faster, better OS (couldn't resist...), nicer looking, higher-res, better battery life TT anyday.

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
Trilobyte @ 2/4/2003 4:00:37 PM #
The 2:20 performance is for full brightness and continuous .mpeg loop, a test that T|T cannot perform. h1910 performs better in "normal" use than T|T. (whatever "normal use" means). Most 'up time log' report about 5+hrs. T|T can only come near h1910 battery endurance, but once h1910 is equipped with OC utility, it will outlast even 0% backlight T|T. Also T|T's office apps options are inferior to what is available for h1910, including the formating issue.(SpreadCE, Textmaker, clearVue) This has been discussed to death.
If size really matters, get a Treo 90
mtt @ 2/4/2003 4:13:07 PM #
My favorite PDA right now, bar none. (Since it has been discontinued, I will hope that Sony will bring out a equivelent replacement when mine breaks)

MTT
RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
Altema @ 2/4/2003 4:34:13 PM #
Have not taken a closer look at comparing the battery life, but the PPC users here in my company of 14,000 would be very interested in seeing how you got better performance than DTG professional. We have the biggest PPC evangelists around who will even chalenge you to your face unprovoked. They lose everytime. The last two challenges were to see who could do video better, and who could sync a 3Mb Word document better. Except for sound quality, the latest iPaq lost to even a 16Mb/33Mhz Palm. The PPC screwed up the formatting of the Word doc as usual.

For more details, see http://www.brighthand.com/article/Office_comparison


RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
mike500 @ 2/4/2003 4:42:33 PM #
I guess I'm not the only one...

I've had my m500 for the last year and a half and will not give it up until the next TT has a leather flip cover. Thanks for the scoop on the scuba cover, I've been trying to find out what it looks like at any other angle besides the single image that every website posts.
Why not upgrade to m515? Because what use is the color if you can't do anything with it? Okay so its a little, I repeat, a little more colorful, but that's all!

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
xolstis @ 2/4/2003 4:51:21 PM #
Thought that was what everyone is saying the TG50 is = ) A Treo90 replacement. Don't think its as small as the treo tho'. Yes I agree the treo has one of the nicest form factors out there but lacking in some areas. A fair trade-off I wud say. How does the 12-bit color turn up anyway? Heard its still very good and that the 160x160 resolution looks allright due to the smaller screen size.

-the harbinger-
RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
Altema @ 2/4/2003 4:57:41 PM #
"The 2:20 performance is for full brightness and continuous .mpeg loop, a test that T|T cannot perform."

You may want to double check the test results, as they were done with the screen at 75%, not 100%, and the volume was on low at 25%. Also, are you claiming that the T|T cannot run for 2 hours and 20 minutes, or that the T|T cannot run a video file? Even though my device is not in the same league as the iPaq or the T|T, it ran the same test for over 5 and a half hours. I don't recall the T|T being THAT much worse than the M515.

Also interesting in the 1910 test is that it could not make it 4 hours, even with the screen turned OFF. Can anyone comment on comparative T|T tests?

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
masitti @ 2/4/2003 5:07:13 PM #
"You forgot lack of SDIO and incompatiblility with all other iPAQ expansion. And don't forget the fact that its s-l-o-w : 200mhz XScale is slower then 200mhz strongARM and significantly slower (if i understand correctly) than TI OMAP (especially one running Palm OS 5). I read recently: TT with OMAP(w/integrated DSP) = 575 MIPS vs. 400mhz XScale = 480 MIPS.

What advantage does the 1910 have over the TT (aside form the price - which as this whole article points out - is becoming less of an issue). The only place where the 1910 wins is size (longer but thinner and less width) and virtual graffiti. I'll take the faster, better OS (couldn't resist...), nicer looking, higher-res, better battery life TT anyday."

Tried a h1910 and a T|T at a store. They did the same things the same amount of time. You must be one of those really strong believers in MHz huh... I'm sorry. Oh, and if it makes you feel any better the h1910 can run at 300+ MHz as well.

There is a $100 price difference, size/weight, replacable battery, better form factor (yes, that is right - the h1910 feels much better in the hand than a T|T does), and to top it off: a TRANSFLECTIVE display.



------------------------
Mario Masitti
O/T Mod
I Love Tennis :)

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
masitti @ 2/4/2003 5:12:06 PM #
--Of course you should note that both Julie and Judie choose the TT as their primary PDA...--

Wow, is this not the most thoughtless comment I have ever read. Do you know what personal preference is? Everyone has different needs. Just because a T|T works for Julie and Judie doesn't mean it will work for Joe Guy over there.

------------------------
Mario Masitti
O/T Mod
I Love Tennis :)

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
Trilobyte @ 2/4/2003 5:31:34 PM #
Altema @ 2/4/2003 4:34:13 PM

Have not taken a closer look at comparing the battery life, but the PPC users here in my company of 14,000 would be very interested in seeing how you got better performance than DTG professional. We have the biggest PPC evangelists around who will even chalenge you to your face unprovoked. They lose everytime. The last two challenges were to see who could do video better, and who could sync a 3Mb Word document better. Except for sound quality, the latest iPaq lost to even a 16Mb/33Mhz Palm. The PPC screwed up the formatting of the Word doc as usual.
-------------------------

Just as DocToGo is a third Party apps, albeit bundled. DTG cannot match Office solution offered in SpreadCE and Textmaker.
http://www.sprinklerhead.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=28

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
Trilobyte @ 2/4/2003 5:39:09 PM #
Altema @ 2/4/2003 4:57:41 PM

You may want to double check the test results, as they were done with the screen at 75%, not 100%, and the volume was on low at 25%. Also, are you claiming that the T|T cannot run for 2 hours and 20 minutes, or that the T|T cannot run a video file? Even though my device is not in the same league as the iPaq or the T|T, it ran the same test for over 5 and a half hours. I don't recall the T|T being THAT much worse than the M515.
---------

No T|T cannot run 2:20 matching the gadgeteer condition. It is 75% brightness of transreflectivescreen, and continuous .mp3 with 25% built in speaker. One of the loudest in the market. The second set of test by Gadgeteer was conducted before the existence of OC utilities, something now commonly used to enhance h1910 mp3 mp3 battery endurance.

T|T is also incapable to run standard .wmf/.mpeg test. Something that has been tested in h1910 for a little more than 2 hrs. The only formal test ever published in an internet review nearing the first version of gadgeteer version does not back up what you say.
http://www.infosync.no/news/2002/n/2495,2.html#OS

M515 is a different platform all together, and has sub par features offering compared to ARM class PDAs.

RE: Tungsten not as impressive anymore...
Thunderball @ 2/4/2003 6:21:32 PM #
Thanks for the Treo 90 suggestion! I hadn't looked at that one before, but now that I'm aware of its size, it looks INCREDIBLY desirable.

Gone is the grafitti area, which rocks (I only use NewPen anyway) and it has an SD slot!

But where is the leather flip case? :)

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